And the uproar over Keaton's casting in 1989 was just as loud. "Mr Mom? Beetlejiuce? As Batman? No effing way!"

and what was the reaction after the movie came out? Not good. The first movie got very mediocre critical reception and got public criticism from Batman fans(mainly because of how Batman was portrayed and The Joker's origin) The second movie got trashed by everyone and was a BO disappointment, which is why the studio dumped Burton.

I am surprised to hear this, as at the time it was released, the reaction from all the Batman fans I knew (myself included) was overwhelmingly positive. I also knew several people who normally associated Batman solely with the Adam West series and Superfriends became more interested in the character after having seen the movie. In fact, if anything, most Batman fans were more enthusiastic about the film than it deserved because it wasn't what most people feared: a comedy.

Aside from giving the Joker a "real" name and having had him kill Bruce's parents I am not sure why the Joker's origin would have bothered many fans, as it was pretty faithful to his origins in the comics, and he acted pretty similarly to the way he did in the comics. Batman was also more or less handled faithfully.

Back to topic: With respect to Affleck, I am going to keep an open mind. It will be interesting to see how the two play off each other. In the comics, Superman tends to be portrayed as the overgrown boy scout and Batman is the person who uses fear (and sometimes questionable methods) to get the results he needs. With respect to Man of Steel's Superman, I would never call him a boy scout, so I am not sure how much contrast there will really be between the two characters.

And the uproar over Keaton's casting in 1989 was just as loud. "Mr Mom? Beetlejiuce? As Batman? No effing way!"

and what was the reaction after the movie came out? Not good. The first movie got very mediocre critical reception and got public criticism from Batman fans(mainly because of how Batman was portrayed and The Joker's origin) The second movie got trashed by everyone and was a BO disappointment, which is why the studio dumped Burton.

Keaton wasn't trashed by critics. The 2nd movie was(1st movie mediocre reception). Not only by the critics but also by the studio and the audience. The ratings on RT are mostly fairly new reviews and don't represent the consensus back in the day. Most untouchable "classics" obviously didn't have that status back when they were released.

The real mystery is why a good actor and even better director wants to star in this superhero shit, which only Americans can take seriously. Surely he already has enough money, so ...

Also, Man of Steel grossed $290 million in the US and $360 outside the US, so seriously or not apparently people worldwide are taking it.

That is HALF of what IRON MAN 3 grossed. Face it , IRON MAN is more popular than the three most popular superheroes: spidey, supe, & the bat! course, that will last only as long as Downey is in the role. Then its back to obscurity for the iron dude brm

I just don't see the need for the fuss, but fanboys will be fanboys. I mean come on, really only Val Kilmer has sucked at being Batman. And Bale, kinda.

Clooney took lots of heat, but he was trapped in a god-awful movie, but, given a better film he'd have been good.

For me, Keaton has done the best job, even if I wasn't crazy about his movies. But he had the dark quality, a good but not silly "bat voice". Towards the end of Batman Returns, when he ripped off the cowl... he made more of an impression in that scene than anyone since - for me.

Bale's movies were all about Nolan's vision. Bale didn't really distinguish himself as Wayne, and again, his choice of the awful gargle voice for Batman was ridiculous.

Affleck will be fine. Really...given the movies to date...most anyone can fill the suit.

They can feel free to put batman to bed for good asap... the Nolan franchise covered the Caped Crusader more than enough (the last movie is tiresome). They may as well put David Spade or Pee Wee Herman in the role.

Most frankly, I wish Hollywood would take a 10 year moratorium on super hero movies in general and start writing some decent material.

As for Ben Affleck, I think he's ok... though his movies seem a notch below true excellence... and that includes Argo. His brother Casey has been in some better movies and is a great character actor IMHO, notably "The Assassination Of Jesse James".

Kilmer, Clooney and Bale have all sucked big time as Batman, Bale had the fortune his movies were good (save for part 3) and his Batman barely featured in them.

Batman has roughly the same screentime(%wise) in every live-action movie

and it's not just him. a lot of these movies have the superheroes that the movies are named after essentially make extended cameos in their own movies. they show up for a 90 sec. action scene here and there then disappear till the final 12 minute confrontation with the bad guy